Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 2: The Status System and the Mischievous Older Sister.

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Ahh… I'm stuffed… Lilia's cooking was way too good… I shouldn't have eaten that much, but I couldn't help myself…

I was rubbing my belly after having an amazing meal. The table in front of me was completely empty.

I was not the only one who ate a lot, Fred and the twins also ate their fair share of food.

We didn't even talk… We just ate everything while Lilia was eating quietly and giggling every now and then.

"Was it tasty, Julius?" Lilia asked with an expecting smile.

She seemed like she really wanted to hear my opinion…

"Everything was absolutely delicious! I never had something like it!" I got excited.

Lilia smiled from ear to ear after hearing that.

"I'm very happy to hear that! If you're ever feeling hungry, just ask and I'll make something for you!" She winked at me.

I just nodded vigorously in response.

"Mom's food is the best!" Liliana was also rubbing her belly.

"The meat was great!" Luna had an ecstatic expression on her face.

The meat was definitely the best part of the meal!

"Thank you, Lilia." Fred smiled at his wife.

Lilia simply smiled back before changing the topic.

"So, Julius. You said that you don't know why you were alone deep in the forest and that you didn't know where your parents were or what's your last name, right? In other words, you have amnesia." Lilia had a serious expression on her face.

I felt really bad about lying to them, but I still didn't feel like I should tell them that I'm a reincarnator…

"Yes…" I nodded.

"So it is safe to assume that you have no clue of why you were left alone in the middle of the Great Forest of Falgren?" Lilia was rubbing her chin.

So that's how this place is called… The name is a bit strange though.

"I think so…" I smiled bitterly.

All of them looked at each other while making complicated expressions.

"Julius, this forest extends for hundreds of thousands of kilometers… We are inside the forest, but we are still in the shallow part…" Liliana explained.

A forest that extends for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, has strange beasts and only a handful of people live there… Is this place this world's equivalent of the Amazon Rainforest? It is still way too small for that, I think.

"Then what are you doing in this place? Liliana and Luna said that there were no people in this forest." I asked Lilia.

"As I said before lunch, my current job is to set up a village here. And yes, we are currently the only humans in this forest." Fred answered my question instead of Lilia.

"Ah, yes… I remember that you told me that… But why are you doing that in this place?" I tilted my head.

Why would they want to set up a village in a place where there are a lot of monsters?

"You could say that it has to do with my husband's old boss when he was a knight." Lilia smiled bitterly.

Fred looked a bit annoyed thanks to the mention of his old boss.

"Let's talk about something else… Kid, so are you going to tell us your age now?" Fred immediately changed the topic 

"..." The twins were looking at me very intently. Their eyes were basically sparkling.

Ah… I guess I should try to use my Status now…

There's a problem though… How do you use it?

I was about to open my mouth and ask about how to use the Status, but Lilia was already going to explain it to me.

"Just try to focus on the word 'Status' for a few seconds. I heard that some people even yell in order to use it. I have never seen someone do it like that though." Lilia explained with a smile.

So, I just need to focus on the word? That's easy and convenient…

I took a deep breath and then only focused on thinking of the word: "Status".

Just like Lilia said, after a few seconds of concentration, a blue screen appeared in front of me leaving me at a loss for words. The Status Screen looked incredibly similar to one from a game I played in my previous life.

"See? The Status stores and displays any important information about you. So, even if you don't remember anything, that information must still be engraved in your Status." Lilia looked happy that I managed to summon my status.

"Kid, don't make us wait! Tell us about yourself!" Fred looked excited.

"Yeah! I really want to know which one of us is older!" Liliana smiled warmly.

"It would be great if we were the same age though…" Luna said with a bit of embarrassment.

After hearing their thoughts and their excited attitudes about this, I took a good look at my Status.

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STATUS

Name: Julius / C♦♦♦ ♦♦v♦♦ 

Race: Human

Age: 7 years old

Ability Points: 0

Titles: Reincarnator(?) / Transmigrator(?)

Jobs: Unemployed

Level: 1

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Attributes

• HP: 75
• MP: 50
• STR: 16 
• VIT: 55
• DEF: 15
• RES: 14
• LUCK: 26
• SPD: 18
• INT: 106

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 Skills 

• Poison Resist / Level 2
• Paralysis Resist / Level 2
• Charm Resist / Level 1

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So, my name still appears in the Status huh… It is strange that my last name doesn't appear on it though...

But… What is that blurry text that appears after my name?

In that blurry section of my Status, only two letters were clear enough for me to read; "C" and "V"...

Maybe that's the name of the previous owner of this body? But why is it blurry?

More questions without an answer…

"So? What did you find out?" Lilia asked with a teasing tone. She was smiling warmly at me.

I nodded while still reading and analyzing my Status.

I then reached the part about my age…

"I'm seven years old..." I was a bit troubled thanks to this revelation.

I was troubled because it might be impossible for the current me to go out there and look for Melius' friend, Lia or even try to release Melius on my own, especially considering that there are monsters like those goblins out there…

Of course, trying to attack Agmos right now is obviously out of the question…

(What should I do now…? I guess my only option is waiting until I'm older...) I asked myself another pointless question.

How troublesome…

"Seven huh? Umm... Julius, are you sure you read your Status correctly?" Fred asked me with a bemused expression.

I tilted my head thanks to his question.

Is it that unbelievable for me to be seven years old?

I checked again just for safe measure. The number obviously didn't change.

"I read it correctly, Fred… Is it that unbelievable? Do I look older?" I asked him with interest.

"N-no… It is just that…-"  Fred looked a bit uncomfortable thanks to my question.

"Your words and actions don't really match your age." Lilia explained with a smile. She actually looked really happy for some reason.

"Is that so?" I tilted my head again.

I guess my way of speaking doesn't really belong to a child…

"In the short time I have known you, there were a few moments when you did act like your age, but before knowing this, I would have said that you were older than the twins." Lilia said while looking at her daughters.

"Yeah, I can't believe that you're that young… Most kids your age would cry inconsolably if they were in the same situation you're in, especially after facing those goblins..." Fred was scratching the back of his head. He looked really troubled.

I see…

It is true that I was scared… To be honest, I was really really scared…  But I don't think I cried at any point of my encounter with those creatures. 

Hmm...

Contrary to the two adults who were in a serious mood, the young twin sisters were talking with each other leisurely.

"We are older! Hahaha! I knew it!" Liliana looked extremely happy about being older than me…

"It doesn't really feel like that though…" Luna smiled bitterly.

The two of them then started whispering to each other… I couldn't hear what they were talking about…

I looked at Lilia who just smiled at me in response. 

I think it was her way of telling me not to worry about them...

I just continued to examine my Status…

I eventually reached the part about my "Titles" and "Jobs".

Even my Status seemed confused about my Reincarnation/Transmigration… It showcased both with a: "(?)" beside each of the titles…

"Julius, I’m going to ask you a very important question that you must certainly answer. I need you to be one hundred percent honest." Lilia's easygoing attitude was nowhere to be seen. She had a very serious expression on her face.

This must be very important…

"Okay." I just nodded in agreement.

"Good. Julius, does the Job [Hero] appear on your Status?" Lilia asked with that very same serious expression. She even seemed a bit anxious.

A [Hero] huh… So this world has a Status System that looks very similar to the Status System from a game I played before coming to this world along with the Class/Job of [Hero]... Interesting...

So that means that it would be pretty safe to assume that the thing Lilia used after that terrifying event with Fred was Magic…

It would make a lot of sense considering what I have seen until now.

For some reason, Fred was also sweating a lot… He looked like he was extremely nervous.

I simply shook my head after taking a quick look at my Status.

"It says [Unemployed]... It would have been a problem for me to have the Job of [Hero]?" I was a bit confused about it.

Both Lilia and Fred were visibly relieved that I wasn't a [Hero].

"I think it is better if we leave that talk for when you're older... It is a bit of a complicated topic. Hehehe…" Lilia laughed awkwardly.

"Aye…" Fred nodded vigorously.

They don't seem like they want to talk about it, so I guess I'll find out if it's bad or not to be a [Hero] later… 

Thanks to their attitudes, I don't think it is something pleasant though…

I simply nodded in agreement and started examining the rest of my Status.

My stats, my level, and my skills were nothing outrageous. I'm a level one with some stats in the double digits (I don't know if they are high or low yet) and I have a total of three skills. All three of them are skills that give me more resistance to certain effects like poison, charms, and paralysis.

Nothing out of the ordinary for a Level 1, I assume.

After analyzing my Status for a few minutes, I started feeling sleepy.

"Yawn…" I yawned a bit... I made sure to cover my mouth while I was at it…

I was struggling to keep myself awake all of a sudden.

"Julius, would you like to take a nap?" Lilia asked me with a bitter smile.

"Yes, please…" I said to Lilia while fighting the sudden drowsiness that was attacking me.

"Rest well, kid. Don't let those ugly goblins haunt your dreams. Hahaha!" Fred laughed in his usual easy-going way.

"Thank you." I just smiled at him.

Lilia and I got up from the table. The twins stopped talking between themselves when they noticed I was leaving.

"Mom! You said that we could play outside after lunch! I want to play with Julius!" Liliana pouted.

She was way less awkward than when we first met a while ago.

Luna then made eye contact with me… She averted her gaze after a few seconds. 

"I-I-I was looking forward to it…" Luna said shyly while still trying to look me in the eyes.

"Girls, Julius is tired. You can play together when he gets some rest, okay? Now, please be good girls and help your dad to clean the table." Lilia smiled at her daughters and husband.

"Okay…" The twins said in unison. They looked a bit disappointed.

Fred was already up and collecting the plates, silverware, and glasses to take them to the kitchen. He didn't even say a word.

"Sorry. I promise that we will play a lot after I wake up..." I smiled at them.

Their expressions instantly brightened as soon as I said that.

"It's a promise!" Liliana looked pleased.

"You can't back out now!" Luna even seemed less shy…

I just nodded in agreement. I was feeling pretty happy on the inside.

Many people wish to go back to their childhood when things were more simple. So, I guess this is my opportunity to experience childhood again.

"Alright! I'll show you your room, Julius!" Lilia suddenly got fired up…

She grabbed my hand just like when we met and started dragging me towards the room which Fred came from a while ago…

Since we were a few steps away from the room, it didn't take long for us to reach it.

Lilia opened the door.

The insides of their spare room were pretty simple. There was a chair and wooden desk with a window just in front of the desk and a bookshelf beside the desk.

There was also a closet along with a mirror beside the closet.

There was a single small bed on the corner of the room with a nightstand by its side.

The room was just as big as my own back on Earth. It also smelled like the perfume of a woman for some reason…

"Here we are! You will be staying here until we manage to find your parents and fix this situation. I'm sorry for the mess in this room... I haven't had the time to clean it lately…" Lilia smiled bitterly.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality!" I smiled at Lilia.

The room was actually spotless though…

"Also… A family friend usually stays here when she visits so you might have a roommate if she visits again. I think the two of you will get along." Lilia patted my head.

Oh… So that explains the smell of perfume...

"I don't mind. You know what they say; beggars can't be choosers." I smiled bitterly.

Lilia just patted my head again.

"She will definitely like you, so I guess you two will be good roommates... She only stays for a few days whenever she visits, so it is not like you will have to share the room for a long time." Lilia explained to me. She was smiling awkwardly the entire time. I think she might have been looking at me with pity as well...

She then let go of my hand and walked towards the door.

"Rest well, Julius. I'll be outside if you need me. Do not hesitate to ask for anything, okay?" Lilia said with a serious look on her face.

"Thank you very much for your kindness." I smiled at Lilia.

Lilia only smiled back before closing the door.

"Yawn…" I yawned again…

I have been fighting my drowsiness for a while now… 

Without inspecting the room any further, I immediately went to bed after taking off my boots.

Needless to say, I fell asleep almost instantly...

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-----Liliana's POV-----

I was looking at my younger sister who was still looking at the door of our spare room very intently.

She must have liked him quite a lot… I understand her because I like him too. 

I really think he's adorable.

He's one of those kids that looks like a small and adorable animal! He’s just like a cute squirrel or a pretty bunny!

The way he was filling his cheeks when we were eating lunch was very cute!

"Well, what do we do now?" My Dad asked my Mom. He had already taken all of the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

My Mom simply sat back at the table and started thinking for a bit.

"Frankly… I don't know what to do here... I was able to take a good look at his Status and there were some strange things in there." My Mom admitted while smiling bitterly.

"Strange in what sense?" My Dad had a curious expression on his face.

"Well, first of all… He has two names. We all know the first one, it is "Julius". I think the second one is a full name, but it was extremely blurry... I couldn't read anything besides two letters. Those letters were "C" and "V". It is the first time in my life I have seen something like that..." My Mom was rubbing her chin.

"He has another name that the Status doesn't show… How is that even possible?" My Dad was dumbfounded.

I never heard something like it either… The Status should show everything about you with clear words... At least that's what Mom said...

"Well, his name might be the least concerning thing about his Status… He's certainly not a [Hero], but he might be just like one... He has the titles of [Reincarnator] and [Transmigrator]. You know what that means, right?" My Mom looked at my Dad with a very serious expression.

Transmigrator? Reincarnator? What is that…?

"Oh… This smells like trouble..." My dad was scratching the back of his head with an annoyed look on his face.

Dad only does that when he's anxious…

"Indeed. I think we should call Tiria and ask her about her opinion." My mother closed her eyes. She seemed like she was thinking hard…

"Aye…" My Dad nodded in agreement.

I then raised my hand after they stopped talking. I had a very important question in my mind.

"Mom, what are ‘Transmigration’ and ‘Reincarnation’?" I asked my mother. I was very confused about those words...

"Liliana, that's a bit…" My Dad was at a loss for words. It didn't seem like he would be able to teach me the meaning of those words.

"Reincarnation is when someone dies and the Goddess of Death, Skell, allows that person to live again at the cost of the memories of their life. In other words, it is starting anew." My Mom explained with a slightly amused expression.

Oh! I get it!

"So that means that everyone has been reincarnated at some point? Shouldn't that also appear in my Status?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"It is safe to say that all of us have been reincarnated hundreds if not thousands of times. It is more than likely that the title appears in Julius' Status because he's special in some kind of way." My Mom smiled.

Hmmm… This reincarnation thing seems a bit complicated...

"I see… What about ‘Transmigration’?" I nodded in understanding.

"I was told that ‘Transmigration’ is when the soul of a dead person takes over the body of an existing person and makes that body their own. If I remember correctly, you could count with one hand all the cases where Transmigrators appeared here in the Empire." My Mom frowned.

Isn't that even more complicated than reincarnation…?

"But Julius has both titles... What does that mean?" I was now extremely confused…

My Mom simply shook her head in response to my question.

"I have no idea. That's why we are going to call your Aunt to come here to help us to figure this out." My Mom smiled bitterly.

"But if you don't know, I don't think Auntie will know either…" I nodded to myself.

"Three heads are still better than two, right?" My Mom smiled warmly at me.

"Aye." My Dad nodded in agreement.

My Dad is not that good with things that require a lot of thinking, so it will probably be my Mom and Auntie doing the thinking part of this while he's there for moral support…

It is not like Luna and I can do a lot to help them either...

"Well, since it doesn't seem like we will find an answer about his titles. Let's leave this topic for another time. I'll go clean everything up and do some laundry." My mother smiled at me and my younger sister who was still looking at the door with interest. "Don't be too aggressive with him, okay?" She winked at me.

(What is that supposed to mean!?) I got a bit annoyed.

Before I could ask my Mom to explain herself, she left the room humming very happily…

"Well, I guess I'll go upstairs and call your Aunt to talk about this situation. If Julius wakes up, please keep him company, okay?" My father scratched the back of his head and smiled bitterly before leaving the room.

It was now just my younger sister and me. My sister was still looking very intently at the door of our spare room.

I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

It is time for some teasing!

"Luna." I called her name.

"..." She didn't respond.

She was completely focused on the door.

"Hey! Mom said she was going to make a cake!" I spoke to my sister with a very exaggerated tone.

"..." She was still looking at the door.

I felt like she was completely ignoring me…

Hmmm… I guess it is time to use my trump card…

I got off my chair and started walking toward my little sister. I stopped by her side and then leaned in to be closer to her ear.

I had to give it my all to not laugh before time…

I took a deep breath and then…-

"Luna and Julius are sitting on a tree!" I started singing near the ear of my dear younger sister.

"Fueeh!?" She immediately jumped from the shock. She almost fell off her chair.

Jeez… Sometimes she just makes it so easy for me to tease her!

"W-w-why are you singing that!?" My cute little sister was blushing a lot. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"You've been looking at the door ever since he left the room, Luna. What other meaning could that possibly have?" I smiled at her 

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about…" She stuttered. She was still blushing.

It is so easy to guess what she's thinking… Fufufu! We are just getting started with the teasing!

"So, I guess you don't mind if it is me on top of the tree with Julius, right?" I grinned from ear to ear.

"Absolutely not!" Luna got pissed off. It was such a strange thing to see.

"So you really like him~! That's so good to know! Mom will be really happy when she hears that you two are actually getting married!" I said with an overly dramatic ecstatic expression.

"N-N-No! That's not it! You got it all wrong!" Luna shook her head furiously after realizing her mistake.

"Then what is it then?" I was having a blast teasing my little sister.

She opened her mouth, but words didn't come out. She looked hesitant…

After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and then…-

"He's cute! Those cheeks make him seem like a small cute animal… I just can't help wanting to hug him and squeeze him!" Luna averted her gaze while she revealed her true feelings.

Hooh… She didn't deny that she likes him... That’s good to know!

(So, her heart has already been taken by the adorable and mysterious Julius. My little sister grew so fast…) I shed some imaginary tears thanks to these thoughts.

"I-I really want to get to know him more… I don't think I can say that I like him yet… But I genuinely want to get to know more about Julius…" Luna spoke shyly while averting her gaze.

I understand how she feels. I find Julius quite cute and interesting. Of course, I also want to get to know him more!

"I get it! I also want to get to know him better!" I nodded in agreement with her. I was completely honest with my younger sister.

"You too…?" My sister looked a little troubled.

"Why does it surprise you? It was love at first sight obviously! Luna, you can't handle having your beautiful older sister as your love rival? You should be more confident!" I started teasing her again. I grinned from ear to ear.

I was just kidding, of course.

"L-L-Love at first sight!?" She looked genuinely shocked.

Luna had still not realized that I was just messing with her. Fufufu! She’s so naive!

"That's right! It started just when I saw him enter through that door while holding the hand of our mother!" I pointed at the entrance.

"Liliana… Calling it love at first sight is a bit…" Luna looked really embarrassed.

Oh! So she indirectly admitted that she liked him as soon as he entered!

“Then what would you call it?” I grinned from ear to ear while looking at my sister.

Luna’s face was getting even redder after she realized that she messed up again.

“Ah… That is…” Luna averted her gaze.

“Go ahead! I’m listening!” I kept smiling at my younger sister.

"Uuuuuu..." She ended up covering her face thanks to the embarrassment.

Fufufu! I think I will be having a lot of fun before Julius even wakes up!

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Chapter 2: The Status System and the Mischievous Older Sister.

END